Delivering comprehensive and ethical patient-centered care is the goal of every nurse—and every nursing student. Practical Ethics for Nurses and Nursing Students is a concise and easy-to-use reference manual to assist nurses in achieving this practice goal. Although the manual addresses a broad spectrum of clinical situations, the challenge of patient communication underlies every chapter.

While evaluative strategies and therapeutic interventions frequently change, communication—with patients, their loved ones, and other members of the healthcare team—is a timeless and personal art. The concepts described in Practical Ethics for Nurses and Nursing Students are as important to patient care as any diagnostic or management technique. When a nurse or nursing student masters the art of communication with patients and has learned to identify and resolve ethical problems, she or he has acquired enduring,

career-enhancing skills. Most importantly, she or he will provide better care to patients.

Contents

I. The Nurse’s Professional Responsibilities

II. Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)

III. Withdrawal of Treatment

IV. Informed Consent

V. Competence and Decision-Making Capacity

VI. Confidentiality

VII. Advocacy

VIII. Legal Issues

IX. Pediatric Nursing Issues

X. Obstetric Nursing Issues

XI. Psychiatric Nursing Issues

XII. The Difficult Patient

XIII. Pain Management/ Palliative Care

XIV. Futility/Unreasonable Patient Requests

XV. Organ Donation

XVI. Advance Directives

XVII. AIDS

XVIII. Death Criteria

XIX. Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

XX. Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)

XXI. Autopsy

XXII. Cultural Competence

XXIII. Research

XXIV. Ethics Consultation

XXV. Ethics and Managed Care

XXVI. Bioethics: Theories and Principles

XXVII. The Future of Ethics in Nursing